Decisions, Decisions: 2010 NBA Free Agents
With the NBA season coming to a close and a seemingly ho-hum draft not garnering much attention, the most pivotal free agency period in recent memory, and possibly ever, is the biggest topic of discussion amongst NBA fans.
There have been so many ridiculous rumors surrounding LeBron that it almost seems like people are forgetting that Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, among others, are out there as well.
As the need for D-Wade's free agent "summit" would suggest, there are many decisions to be made by some of the game's top players as they prepare to test the market. I have some solutions for each player to find success as an individual and as a member of a truly good team.
LeBron James
For starters, I will start with the NBA's true king. Sorry Kobe, but everyone already knows you're going to stay with the Lakers and dominate. You're only really affecting one team.
By my count, LeBron absolutely has power over six NBA teams. Six! The Cavaliers, Bulls, Knicks, Nets, Clippers, and even the Heat have the means to give LBJ as much money as the league allows.
Although the Clips and Heat haven't been as loud as the others in pursuit of the reigning MVP, all it takes is one small suggestion from LeBron that he might go to one of those places for the madness to spread.
As a Knicks fan, I would love nothing more than for LeBron to come to New York and drag Wade, Bosh, and David Lee (a fan favorite) with him for anywhere from eight to 12 consecutive titles.
Unfortunately for me, this will never be a reality and I must instead settle for giving some (hopefully) unbiased options.
If LeBron wants to play for a team that might get him a ring, but might disappoint him every single year for the rest of his career, he should stay with the Cavs. Cleveland is obviously not a bad team, but their last two postseasons were such a letdown that his departure might be inevitable.
Don't get me wrong, in an era where it seems like you're nobody until you demand a trade or ditch your roots for a fat contract, I could never fully root against a guy like James staying loyal to his fans. However, they don't have the money to significantly improve upon last year and they seem to be a different team once they face a good team in a series.
On the plus side, with apologies to Chris Grant, he would absolutely be the GM on that team. Not bad for a 25-year-old. At least Grant could put "Cavaliers General Manager" on his business card.
On the other hand, if James really wants to play for a ring, he should wait for another free agent of elite status to sign with the Nets, Knicks, or Heat, or decide that Derrick Rose could definitely be his Scottie Pippen.
The Bulls certainly seem to have an upper hand if LeBron leaves Cleveland, but with enough money for two maximum contracts, the other three teams would all have ample opportunity to supply a better wingman than Rose.
Lastly, the Clippers look pretty good on paper without LeBron and fantastic with him. Blake Griffin could easily grow into a great low-post player, while Chris Kaman and Baron Davis play like All-Stars, and Eric Gordon sits in the corner and sets records for three-pointers.
Also, he would immediately create the best "This is MY house" rivalry ever for a few years with Kobe. Know how it is when a rabid high school fan base faces off with its equally rabid rival fan base? That's how every game would be every time the Lakers and Clips fought for the Staples Center, except there would be about 100 times more people.
Unfortunately, most of those would be annoying bandwagoners and celebrities who pretend to care about basketball, but it would still be pretty dope.
Since he should definitely go for the rings, I would say that the Bulls and their depth or the Knicks, Heat, or Nets should be front-runners. The Heat don't seem too interested and the Nets really kind of suck, so it's between the Bulls and Knicks with the Bulls holding the advantage.
Sorry Clippers, it just doesn't seem like it would work somehow. On paper it does, but everything has made sense for you on paper and look where it's got you.
Dwyane Wade
If Dwyane needed an example of how little support he has in Miami currently, his first-round series with Boston was perfect. I say "his" rather than "their" because he essentially played the Celtics by himself.
Don't believe me?
Check out the stats from Miami's second-best player (Michael Beasley) and third-best player (Jermaine O'Neal): Beasley with 10.4 ppg, 5.8 rbg, and 45 percent FG and O'Neal with 4.2 ppg, 5.6 rpg and a repulsive 20.5 percent FG.
Wow. Thanks guys.
As I mentioned earlier, the Heat have enough money to give Wade and another player max contracts. Wade has basically said that he will stay in Miami if they give him a great teammate, so it seems that all the front office has to do is sign a guy like Carlos Boozer, Amar'e Stoudemire, or even LeBron James.
Otherwise, he'll be doing his best Usain Bolt impression out of town.
Since he already seemed to write-off the Bulls with his comments about some perceived disloyalty, Wade should go to the Knicks (whoops, more bias). In all seriousness though, Wade is in LeBron's realm in that he could win another title with one really good teammate and some quality role players, but can't do it without those pieces.
Aside from the Cavaliers, any team that would make sense for LeBron would likely make sense for D-Wade as well.
Basically, this in the front office's hands. If one of the players that are higher up on this list comes in, he should stay. If not, might I suggest the Knicks, Nets, or Clippers?
Chris Bosh
To me, Bosh is perhaps the most intriguing free agent aside from James just because he seems to be the most willing to leave his team. By far. Bosh is the second-best big man in the game behind Dwight Howard and should be just as sought-after as anyone.
Not to sound like a broken record, but Bosh should sign wherever another star will be. He could easily be what Garnett was for Pierce in 2008 or what Gasol was for Kobe in 2009.
Unlike with James and Wade, it's clear that Bosh isn't a guy who could carry a team anywhere by himself. He can still be the best player on a contender, but if he's stuck with someone as disinterested as Hedo Turkoglu, we might be seeing a wasted career in progress.
I see Miami or New York as great fits for Bosh as long as he is teamed with an elite perimeter player. New Jersey is another option, but even with a superstar teammate, their work would be cut out for them.
One option that a friend ran by me is quite scary, frankly.
This option is that the Raptors sign-and-trade Bosh to the Lakers for Andrew Bynum and somebody like Luke Walton. The money in that deal comes out pretty even. Think about it, the Raptors are almost certainly going to lose Bosh, so why wouldn't they try to get a young, talented pure center?
And for the Lakers, it's Chris-freaking-Bosh. Walton barely plays and Bynum will never be where Bosh is now. Unless you're a Lakers fan, the thought of Kobe, Bosh, Gasol, Odom, and Artest on the same team is just sickening.
Joe Johnson
As another member of the "summit," it seems as though Johnson is viewed as a superstar who could really probably be the best player on a contender and the second-best on a truly great team. While I gushed over the Hawks throughout the season, I found myself asking a lot of questions during the playoffs.
Questions like, "Is John Salmons actually the best player on the court?", and, "What the hell?", were pondered.
More specifically, what does it say about a player when he is getting out-played so badly by Salmons? If Joe Johnson keeps coming up in conversations with LBJ, D-Wade, and Bosh, why did he look so bad against a war-torn Bucks team and a good-but-not-amazing Magic team?
What I'm trying to say is that Johnson is a risky guy to give a max contract. It seems like his name has been mentioned so much mostly because he would serve well as a second-best player.
He's a great shooter, can play the point guard position on occasion, and plays adequate defense, but I see Johnson as being overrated compared to other free agents. He's better than guys like Lee and Ray Allen, but I vote him as the most-likely guy to land a GM in a therapist's office for setting a team back a few years.
He's already been the leader of a pretty good team, but that only got him to the 82-games checkpoint. If he wants to have any playoff success, he should latch on somewhere as a No. 2 guy that is willing to play to his strengths. Otherwise, I might end up wanting to overrate John Salmons again. Not good.
(Note to Hawks fans: If you're ever in the mood for a tear-jerker, don't waste your time and money going to the local Blockbuster to rent Brian's Song or Bambi, just watch a recording of any game of the Hawks-Magic series.)
New York seems to be aggressively pursuing Johnson. If only one (or none) of the LeBron-Wade-Bosh group signs with the Knicks, Johnson should go there, assuming their biggest competitors would already have a prized free agent.
Amar'e Stoudemire
I must admit, my idea for Amar'e is pretty out there, but I really think it could give him a great chance at a championship and max money.
Earlier in the season, I had Stoudemire pegged as an amazing scorer, awful defender, and sub-par rebounder. While his rebounding still hasn't hit an impressive level, his defense has made gigantic strides, and in turn, the Suns were a few incredible Kobe makes away from a potential trip to the Finals.
That being said, my idea is this: Amar'e signs a max-money deal for two years with Phoenix, the same amount of years Steve Nash has on his deal, then re-enter the market for a more lengthy max deal before the Suns decline into oblivion.
Nash still has at least two seasons left in the tank, Grant Hill is on board for another year, and Jason Richardson is around for another year, too. I really feel like the Suns are right up there with any other team as long as they maintain the intensity they showed in these playoffs.
Unfortunately, they are operating on little time, which is why I suggest such a short deal for Amar'e. I don't see how he gets worse in the next two years, so hopefully he can get a ring and get paid as much as possible in the process.
On the other hand, Stoudemire could just shack-up (Shaq-up?) with Wade in Miami and earn a ring that way. This is probably the smarter move, but the comfort of Phoenix promises good chemistry and familiarity, whereas Amar'e could be like every '09 free agent star and fail to really gel as expected if he leaves.
Carlos Boozer
After spending a long time (and I mean a long time) whining about playing in Utah, Boozer eventually decided that he had a good thing going and his attitude did a complete 180. Still, the Jazz looked over-matched against the Lakers in their second-round series and there wouldn't be that much more money to improve.
Also, backup power forward Paul Millsap is on the books for another three years and has proven to be a capable replacement. Unfortunately for Boozer, all of his whining and Miami-dreaming got Jazz fans thinking about life after Boozer and it seems like the majority of fans wouldn't hate it.
Even though Millsap is not as good as Boozer, the Jazz would have money to throw at a new Deron Williams sidekick while Millsap nobly takes his role as a third scoring option who rebounds, defends, and sets good picks.
Should this union split, Miami seems to be a logical choice for Boozer. It was well reported that he wanted to go there and he would have an even more talented teammate than what he has with Williams. I can't imagine any major qualms in terms of his role on the team, seeing how the Heat should be pretty desperate for anyone who can put up more than an a 10-5 in a playoff series.
Dirk Nowitzki
Dirk should stay in Dallas. Him signing anywhere else is just not okay with me. Like Kobe in L.A., Tim Duncan in San Antonio, and Pierce in Boston, Dirk just belongs there.
The Mavs faithful has been there all throughout his journey from talented scorer to MVP who chokes in the clutch to well-rounded superstar who can really do some damage with some help.
With Brendan Haywood as the only regular not signed on for next season, Nowitzki has a contender already surrounding him. Losing a solid big like Haywood would be a big blow, but the main core of Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, Caron Butler, Shawn Marion, Jason Terry, Roddy Beaubois, and contract-year Erick Dampier definitely sounds like a team with a chance.
The thing that separates Dirk from Kobe, Duncan, and Pierce is that he has yet to win a championship. It looked quite promising until the 2-3-2 format in the Finals swallowed his chances in '06, but since then it's been one disappointment after another.
I'm not sure how Dirk feels about personal legacy, but his Maverick legacy boasts 82 games worth of greatness per year and an "almost" in the postseason, but is ultimately far from complete.
Thankfully, he is working with the Mavericks on a new deal after declining the player option in his old contract.
David Lee
It's not everyday that the guy who hustles his butt off every night, but is ultimately smaller and less athletic than everyone else, really succeeds, so Lee's story is hard for some to believe in.
After leading the league in double-doubles with 65 the season before last, Lee hit the free agent market as one of the best players available. Unfortunately, no teams really bit and he sauntered back into New York for a one-year, $7 million deal, earning barely over what Brian Cardinal made.
Instead of sulking, however, Lee worked tirelessly on his jumper and driving ability until he averaged 20.2 ppg on 54.5 percent shooting. He even had a 37-point, 20-rebound, 10-assist performance in the year—in a loss—to Golden State's terrible defense.
But still, this was the first 35-20-10 since Abdul-Jabbar, and it wasn't done Ricky Davis-style by gunning for his own stats. He simply hustled and worked and tried to win.
He's a hard-working big man who plays scrappy defense (not great, but not bad) who averaged 20-12 during the season and could easily put together a 17-12 for a contender. Sure, he doesn't jump 40 inches or out-muscle many (or any) bigs, but he's proven for two years to be a solid contributor with a revamped offensive game.
A team that's just one or two pieces away from being complete would be wise to take a good, hard look at Lee. If Amar'e leaves Phoenix, Lee is quite comfortable with the fast-paced style of the Suns.
Not saying he's as good as Stoudemire, just saying he could fit in quite nicely.
Ray Allen
While Jesus Shuttlesworth won't be getting any long-term deals, he is still a very valuable commodity for a contending team. A team like the Bulls could really use Allen. Whether they sign LeBron or not, Rose is very good at getting to the hole and it would serve him incredibly well to have a spot-up shooter of Allen's quality in the corner.
Chicago's offense really suffered from the absence of Ben Gordon's deep-ball accuracy, and Allen could be the remedy that ends up being better than the previous way.
If not Chicago, it would have to be another contender. It would make no sense on either side for a rebuilding franchise to drag Ray through three or four years of learning the game as a team.
If Joe Johnson leaves Atlanta and/or Carlos Boozer leaves Utah, those teams would have the money to sign the sharp-shooter and stay in the thick of contention.
Rudy Gay
As a young talent who is simply overshadowed by other young perimeter players, I think Gay would be best suited to sign with a struggling team and lead a team through growing pains all while getting paid way too much money.
He's proven his worth as a scorer and finally tasted some form of success for a couple of months in Memphis, but he doesn't strike me as the kind of player that is even the second-best player on a championship team.
That being said, he can get paid like one while leading a revolution in New Jersey, Minnesota (who actually has a lot to spend with), or with the Clippers. These don't seem to be the dream locations for most free agents, so if Gay could pry a couple more million bucks out of one of those teams and be the leading scorer on a playoff team in 2013, he'd be sitting pretty good.
He is a restricted free agent, so Memphis still has the upper hand, but a team could easily try to impress its fans by throwing some extra money at Gay. He has the ever-important combination of youth and talent working for him, so he could easily find his way into the ranks of highest-paid players soon enough.
So there it is.
I suggest at least one pair of superheroes go Jordan-Pippen on the league. In my semi-realistic dream world, LeBron and Bosh sign with NY, Boozer joins Wade in Miami and revitalizes a great late-'90s rivalry, Joe Johnson goes to one of the LeBron Sweepstakes losers, Dirk and Amar'e stay home, Lee gets paid, and Allen and Gay do whatever they want to do.
Can't wait to see how it all shakes out.
